RiverViewer

Sounds like a good solution. Apparently folks were able to put hyperbole behind them and hammer out a deal. Loved this quote: No, Mr. Blasdell, the market may determine who succeeds in the marketplace - but the government decides who can't be in the marketplace because they're in frickin' prison. That's a perfectly legitimate role for government to play - it plays it in every other industry - and that's a role the market cannot play. And the marketplace functions best if it has rational players possessing full information. You never get that in the real world - at best you get something close to it, and in these cases, the problem is the targeting of the least informed and least financially literate folks. So eliminating a broker's access to the most egregious of abuses seems like a reasonably response to that fact.

^When you post articles, can you include the URL to the article? It's often helpful for sending to folks who might be interested in them. Sometimes a thread is appropriate to send, but sometimes just the article makes more sense...definitely, thanks for posting them (don't want to sound ungrateful!), but a link would make it even that much better!

Hey, not sure if I just entirely missed this yesterday or what, but 2204 Gilbert is getting a whole new paint job! And it's interesting too!

That is awfully pretty - especially this shot: ...as you know, I'm a RiverViewer! Looks like a kick-ass place to do that from...very nicely done!

Welcome to them...seven murders in Walnut Hills is just crazy... Uncle Rando, do you have a link to this story?

Here are the buildings involved: 2202 Gilbert: Driving past last night, you can see where they've painted a couple patches on 2202 Gilbert, which seems to mean someone's going to repaint it, which seems to mean they aren't planning on tearing it down anytime soon: I also saw a small patch of paint a couple weeks ago on, I believe, the back of 2210: ...but didn't get a picture. So it seems unlikely that teardowns are in the works - but I guess one never knows...

Regarding this shot: ...back in the mid-90's, when the Counting Crows album August and Everything After was big, and the song Murder of One was getting radio play, a friend and I walked past the Delta Delta Delta house at Indiana University, and, in my best Adam Duritz voice, I sang "Change, change, change..." Ach, I was proud of that one... Very nice pictures! And that sure seems window-intensive for a former jail...maybe they have a basement and a sub-basement where the cells were?

^Yeah, a guy I worked with got moved to San Francisco in the late 90's, pocketed probably $400K+ from appreciation on that house, then got another $250K-$300K when he left Evansville, IN...when you've accrued $700K in capital-gains-free appreciation, a $250K mortgage will just about buy you a $1MM unit...

You should be able to get decent shade at Eden Park's playground depending on time of day, and they have big-assed swings still at Mt. Echo Park...as for the other elements, I'm not a kid-owner, so I don't really pay a ton of attention to those aspects...but I can see why fenced-in playground areas are important - never crossed my mind before, but makes sense.

Well, I'm definitely not ready to throw these figures away - I mean, these folks are professionals, and their numbers are a lot more reliable than my impressions... That said, some of the numbers are so surprising that it does make me doubt them... And yeah, the city-to-city comparisons are helpful if you're looking for understanding, but utterly useless if you're looking to prove which is better. We all know that's what professional sports teams are for.

Well, different parks for different purposes. You don't get more monsterous and non-urban than Ault Park, but it's packed with folks all the time. TM Berry Park has lots of users, especially joggers. Eden Park isn't urban at all, but it's packed to the gills all the time as well. I agree that an Eden Park isn't appropriate for the riverfront, but just want to clarify that an urban park isn't appropriate in other settings either - balance in all things!

It shows Cincinnati going from 17,917 vacant units to 27,380 vacant units. 10K new abandoned/vacant units in the city? Where the hell are they all? You'd think that would be noticed...I can't say there aren't that many new abandoned units (and vacant units in larger buildings would be far less noticeable), don't have numbers, but it sure seems high.

Cincinnati dropped from 331,285 to 289,628 in four years? 13% decline, in four years? That seems insanely high...I mean, I know we're hemorrhaging people, but wow, if those estimates are right, that's just insane...

A very positive story about the city...maybe it's just suburban enough to get good press - but hey, it's the city, so I'll take it!

That is a hilarious caption + photo...I laughed out loud...

Stirrings! Late last week a couple large pieces of earth-moving equipment (big-assed buckets) were dropped off at "the mud hole" (you know, they'd better get a move on with this thing before the entire site erodes down the damn hill). Then I was woken up this morning at 6:30am (also known as "six f*cking thirty? What the f*ck?") by the sound of a grinder thing of some sort. For a while it sounded like a jack hammer, but now that I'm up and in a room with open windows, it sounds a little grinder-like again, although more like a sewing machine - a huge metal sewing machine with a harpoon for a needle and sheet metal for fabric, perhaps? Checked the MLS, and nothing's changed as far as I can tell. It's been at least three months since Chip lost the listings, maybe more, so I'd have expected stuff to fall out of limbo by now, but I guess not...or maybe it has and Sibsy Cline is slow in getting the listings up? I've gotta say, the marketing on this building hasn't been worth a damn yet. I think my neighbor had noticed that, and he's right - other units have ads in magazines and newspapers, and billboards, and tv or radio spots - this place got an MLS listing and that's about it...

Oh, don't try to fool us, we know you were watching from a dark corner, stalker-boy.

Truly phenomenal...wish I could have stuck around! Maybe next time... So did you'ins skip Main Strasse then?

Fan-frickin'-tastic! Great pictures, very nicely done...I love the Grasscat soaking it in shot - hilarious...

Getting to the top of Carew is fantastic, and it's simple. You go over near the security desk (which is near the Vine Street entrance, diagonal across from Fountain Square), and there will be signs directing you to the elevators, or you can ask the security folks - they're always nice and helpful. You go up 45 floors, then follow the signs to another, smaller elevator, or walk up four flights of steps, then at the top you pay the attendant $2 and you're there. Very easy, and a wonderful, amazing view. I'd suggest contacting Carew Tower management to confirm that they'll have someone there working the observation deck on Memorial Day if that was your plan - I'd bet they will, but it doesn't hurt to call them to make sure. As for events, the Taste of Cincinnati is Memorial Day weekend: http://www.taste-of-cincinnati.com/ Given good weather, Central Parkway will be jammed with people between Plum and Main. Where are you staying during your trip?

^Yeah, no shit...especially when you can spend $150K on a kick-ass house that needs some work, drop another $50K on improvements, end up making money when you move, not having borrowed $500K in the meantime! And if you spend that $440/month on a lawn service and snow removal, you'll still have $200+/month left over!

My favorite self-portrait, taken in St. Mark's Square in Venice...don't remember if I posted this before or not, but what the hell:

Very interesting...looks like they got the front half done first...just a touch odd. But it's a clever enough way of having six garage spaces without either hiding them or having them look like ass...definitely cool, just a little weird...

In 1990, that strip was the back door to Tangeman going to or leaving from hanging out at the Film Society offices...at least for me!

Not today - they wore gray sleaveless with the black shirts underneath...but they were on the road...maybe it's just Sunday Best when they're at home?